The Endurance Athlete Journey – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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Miles can make a training plan feel clear. But they can also make it easy to chase a number without understanding the actual cost of the work.

In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down the difference between training by minutes and training by miles — and why the better choice depends on your experience, your goals, your sport, and the stress your body is already carrying.

If you are a runner, triathlete, or endurance athlete trying to follow a plan without overdoing it, this conversation will help you think more clearly about volume, recovery, long runs, heat, terrain, and when “just hit the miles” may not be the smartest answer.

What You’ll Learn

•  Why mileage does not always reflect the true stress of a workout 
•  When training by minutes may be better for newer athletes, triathletes, and time-crunched schedules 
•  Why runners often get emotionally attached to certain mileage numbers 
•  How to choose the training structure that fits where you are right now 

Timestamps:

00:00 — Minutes vs miles in training plans
 02:27 — Why many runners prefer mileage-based plans
 06:50 — The downside of chasing mileage
 12:00 — Fueling long runs by time, not distance
 20:24 — How heat changes the cost of a workout
 28:00 — Why template plans can miss the bigger picture
 38:14 — The problem with arbitrary mileage goals
 47:12 — The case for minutes-based training
 56:16 — Time-crunched athletes and training stress
 1:03:20 — Why training by time can feel freeing
 1:20:33 — The limitations of minutes-based plans
 1:28:42 — How to decide which method fits you

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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What happens when the goal you can’t stop thinking about is the one you’re afraid to pursue?

Whether it’s your first race, moving up in distance, returning from injury, or taking another shot at something that didn’t go well the first time, many endurance athletes find themselves stuck in the space between wanting something and actually committing to it.

In this solo episode, Coach Justin explores the relationship between fear, confidence, and action. Using his own struggles with returning to Ironman racing and pursuing Unbound Gravel, he breaks down why waiting to feel ready often keeps athletes from pursuing the goals that matter most—and why confidence is usually the result of action, not the requirement for it.

What You'll Learn

• Why confidence is built through action, not before it
• The difference between fear, danger, and uncertainty
• How past experiences can make returning to a goal harder than starting something new
• Why committing to the first step matters more than committing to the finish line

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why this conversation about fear matters
03:15 – The thing you want most often scares you most
08:10 – Fear vs. courage in endurance sports
10:00 – Fear, danger, and risk are not the same thing
16:00 – Returning after setbacks, injury, and disappointment
21:15 – Why growth lives outside of comfort
25:00 – The real reason athletes keep postponing goals
26:00 – Confidence comes from action, not certainty
37:00 – Fear, excuses, and waiting until you're ready
45:15 – Taking the first step instead of the final step
49:30 – The lesson every endurance athlete needs to hear

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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Podcast Summary – Navigating Setbacks in Marathon Training

In this episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, Katie shares a real and raw update on her road to Grandma’s Marathon—one that didn’t go as planned.

After coming off a strong stretch of training, including a standout 16-mile tempo run, Katie was hit with a major setback: Influenza B. What started as mild fatigue quickly turned into a full week of illness, forcing her to step away from training and rethink her approach moving forward. 

Instead of focusing on recovery strategies as planned, this episode pivots into a deeper conversation about setbacks—how they happen, how they feel, and how to handle them.

Key Takeaways:

• Setbacks are part of the process
  Whether it’s illness, injury, or life stress, disruptions are inevitable in any training cycle. 
• Stress adds up (even beyond training)
  Katie highlights how life stress—work demands, family responsibilities, and even exam pressure—can compound physical stress and impact the immune system. 
• Rest early, not later
  One of the biggest lessons: trying to “push through” early symptoms can prolong recovery and worsen the setback. 
• Fitness doesn’t disappear overnight
  Missing a week of training isn’t ideal, but it doesn’t erase months of consistent work. 
• Flexibility is key
  Training plans should be written “in pencil,” allowing room to adjust based on real-life circumstances. 
• Mindset matters
  Katie explores reframing setbacks—not as failures, but as part of the journey, and sometimes even a form of protection from something worse. 

Looking Ahead:

With about seven weeks until race day, Katie shares the uncertainty of returning to training while balancing recovery. The path forward may involve adjusting goals—but not giving up.

Bottom line:
Progress isn’t about perfection—it’s about adapting, listening to your body, and staying in the game even when things don’t go according to plan.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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Most runners are asking the same questions—but they’re often chasing the wrong answers.

In this episode, Coach Justin and Coach Katie break down 6 of the most common running questions they hear from athletes—covering frequency, pacing, injuries, nutrition, speed, and endurance.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing enough… doing too much… or just doing it wrong—this episode will help you simplify your approach and focus on what actually leads to progress.

🔑 What You’ll Learn:

• How often you should actually be running 
• Why “good pace” is the wrong question 
• How to get faster without burning out
• What really builds endurance

Timestamps:

 00:00 – Introduction
 01:15 – How often should you run?
 05:30 – Running for triathletes vs runners
 10:20 – What is a “good” pace?
 17:50 – RPE vs pace explained
 24:30 – How to avoid injuries
 29:40 – Nutrition, sleep, and recovery
 34:25 – What to eat before and after running
 48:30 – How to run faster
 56:50 – How to build endurance
 1:02:50 – Final thoughts 

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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You trained for the race.
You put in the hours.
So why didn’t your performance reflect your fitness?

In this episode, we break down the real reason so many endurance athletes underperform on race day—and it’s not because they’re not fit enough.

From pacing mistakes and poor fueling decisions to hydration errors and lack of race-day awareness, small execution errors can quietly build throughout the race until everything starts to fall apart.

And the hardest part?
 Most athletes don’t even realize it’s happening until it’s too late.

We walk through the most common race day mistakes we see in both triathlon and running, how those mistakes show up during your race, and what you can do to avoid them.

Because race day isn’t about perfection.
 It’s about making the right decisions in the moments that matter.

In This Episode, We Cover:

•  Why fitness alone doesn’t determine your race outcome 
•  The most common pacing mistakes that lead to late-race breakdown 
•  How fueling and hydration errors quietly derail performance 
•  The compounding effect of small decisions over the course of a race 
•  How to think through race execution before race day

Who This Episode Is For:

•  Athletes preparing for their first race 
•  Endurance athletes who feel like their results don’t match their training 
•  Triathletes and runners looking to improve race execution 
•  Anyone heading into race season who wants to avoid preventable mistakes

Resources & Next Steps:

If you’re tired of putting in the work but not seeing it show up on race day, this is exactly where coaching makes the difference.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

You trained. You showed up. You crossed the finish line.

Now what?

For a lot of athletes, the end of a race doesn’t feel the way they expected. There’s pride, excitement… and sometimes an unexpected sense of emptiness. The structure is gone. The goal is gone. And the question becomes: what comes next?

In this episode of Triathlon 101, Coach Justin walks through what actually happens after your first triathlon—and how to approach your next steps with clarity instead of emotion.

This isn’t about immediately signing up for another race. It’s about understanding the post-race phase that most athletes skip—and why that mistake leads to burnout, frustration, and stalled progress.

You’ll learn:

•  Why feeling “off” after race day is completely normal 
•  The difference between reacting vs. progressing 
•  How to evaluate your first race the right way 
•  The biggest mistake athletes make when choosing their next race 
•  Why longer and harder isn’t always better 
•  How to build a sustainable path forward in the sport 

Whether your race went exactly as planned—or completely off the rails—this episode will help you take that experience and turn it into your next step forward.

Because the finish line isn’t the end… it’s the starting point.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction: What Comes After Your First Triathlon
03:00 The Emotional Aftermath of Race Day
06:30 The Most Important Question: Continue or Stop?
09:30 Reflect Before You React
12:30 Finish Line High vs. Finish Line Low
15:00 The Trap of Doing Too Much Too Soon
21:30 Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better
25:00 The Refinement → Progression Process
28:00 Recovery: Physical and Mental Reset
34:30 Training Must Fit Your Life
39:00 Your 3 Paths Forward as an Athlete
01:00:30 Long-Term Progression Strategy + Final Takeaways

 🎧 Listen now and take control of what comes next in your journey.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

Most athletes think the key to improvement is simple: train more, push harder, and stack on more workouts.

But what if that’s exactly what’s holding you back?

In this episode of The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, we break down how to actually structure your training week so that your workouts build fitness—not fatigue. This is Part 3 of our training plan series, where we move beyond theory and into real-world execution.

We dive into how to take your weekly training volume and turn it into a plan that works with your life, not against it. Because the difference between progress and burnout isn’t how hard you train—it’s how you sequence, recover, and manage fatigue over time.

You’ll learn why many athletes feel like they’re getting slower despite training more, how poor workout sequencing sabotages performance, and why recovery is one of the most overlooked performance tools.

We also discuss:

•  How to properly sequence workouts across the week 
•  Why fatigue is necessary—but must be managed 
•  The biggest mistake athletes make with easy days 
•  How to balance intensity, volume, and recovery 
•  Why generic training plans (and even AI) fall short without personalization 

If you’ve ever felt stuck, constantly tired, or unsure why your training isn’t working—this episode will change how you approach your entire week.

Key Takeaways:

• Fatigue is required for adaptation—but unmanaged fatigue leads to breakdown 
•  Workouts cannot be evaluated in isolation—they must be viewed within the full week 
•  The goal is not to do more—it’s to sequence better
•  Easy days are just as important as hard days—and most athletes get them wrong 
•  Poor recovery habits lead to the illusion of lost fitness 
•  Consistency—not intensity—is what drives long-term performance 
•  Training plans must adapt to your real-life schedule, not just ideal conditions 
•  There is more than one way to achieve a training goal—but not all methods carry the same risk 
•  Generic plans (and AI-generated plans) lack the ability to integrate life demands and individual nuance 
•  Strategic recovery (not just rest days) is a critical part of performance

Timestamps:

 00:00 Why structuring your training week matters
 00:36 The art of workout sequencing
 01:31 Why AI training plans fall short
 02:28 Managing volume, stress, and fatigue
 04:18 Building your training week
 10:13 Individualizing training and recovery
 30:04 The big picture: fatigue vs performance
 32:18 Why fatigue hides your fitness
 36:25 The 80/20 method and intensity balance
 43:02 Customizing training cycles beyond 7 days
 75:01 Recovery, consistency, and long-term success
 80:04 Wrap-up and next steps 

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

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In this solo episode of the Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast, Katie shares an honest and detailed update from her marathon training block as she prepares for Grandma’s Marathon.

She walks through recent weeks of training, including challenging speed sessions, long-run workouts, strength work, and the reality of balancing fatigue, life, and consistency. From navigating tough workouts on low sleep to adapting pacing in warm conditions, this episode offers a real look at what marathon training actually feels like behind the scenes.

The second half of the episode dives deep into nutrition and fueling strategies. Katie breaks down how she approaches daily fueling, meal planning, and recovery—without falling into the “what I eat in a day” trap. She shares practical insights on:

•  Fueling before, during, and after workouts 
•  Why under-fueling can impact sleep and recovery 
•  How to plan meals during busy weeks 
•  Long run fueling strategies and carb intake goals 
•  Listening to hunger cues and letting go of scale anxiety 

Whether you’re training for a marathon or just trying to better support your endurance goals, this episode is packed with relatable experiences and practical takeaways to help you fuel smarter and train stronger.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

Building a training plan isn’t just about adding more miles each week.

In this episode, we break down one of the most misunderstood concepts in endurance training: how to build volume the right way — without burning out, breaking down, or blindly following rules that don’t apply to you.

We walk through how coaches actually think about progressing volume, why increasing intensity and volume at the same time is a common mistake, and how to structure your training in a way that your body can actually absorb.

You’ll also learn why there is no such thing as a “perfect” training plan — and what actually matters if you want to make consistent progress.

Whether you’re training for your first race or trying to take your performance to the next level, this episode will help you approach your training with more clarity and confidence.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

•  How to safely build training volume over time 
•  Why you shouldn’t increase volume and intensity together 
•  The difference between weekly volume and individual workout progression 
•  How to structure training using step-wise or block-based approaches 
•  Why “one-size-fits-all” training plans don’t work 
•  How to adjust your training based on real life and recovery

Timestamps:

00:00 – Why Volume Matters in Your Training Plan
02:30 – Assessing Your Starting Point as an Athlete
05:00 – How to Progress Volume Safely (Step-by-Step)
08:15 – Setting Peak Volume and Planning Your Taper
12:00 – Adjusting Volume Based on Experience Level
15:00 – The Truth About the 10% Rule
18:40 – Managing Volume in Multi-Sport Training
22:50 – Why the 80/20 Rule Doesn’t Work for Everyone
27:00 – Using Feedback to Adjust Your Training Plan
32:00 – Data vs. Feel: How Coaches Actually Plan Training
36:20 – The Art vs. Science of Coaching
41:00 – Why Communication Matters in Training Success
44:00 – When (and How) to Pivot Your Plan
48:00 – Key Takeaways: Build Smarter, Not Just More

Key Takeaways:

•  Progression should be gradual — not forced 
•  Your training plan must adapt to your life, not the other way around 
•  The best plan is the one you can consistently execute and recover from

Join the Community:

💬 The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast Facebook Group
 (Search the name on Facebook and request to join)

If You Enjoyed This Episode:

Please consider leaving a review and sharing this episode with another athlete who could benefit from it. Your support helps more athletes find the podcast.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com

Send us Fan Mail

Triathlon 101 Series — Episode 7: The Mental Side of Your First Triathlon 

Most athletes spend months preparing physically for their first triathlon—but completely overlook the mental side of race day.

And that’s where races fall apart.

In this episode of Triathlon 101, Coach Justin breaks down the mental challenges you’ll face before and during your first triathlon—and more importantly, how to manage them so you can execute your race with confidence.

This isn’t about motivation.
 This is about understanding your thoughts, managing your emotions, and staying in control when things start to feel uncertain.

You’ll learn:

•  Why race day nerves are normal (and actually useful)
•  The 3 key moments where mental struggles show up most 
•  A simple framework to break negative thought loops: Acknowledge → Anchor → Execute
•  How to avoid the comparison trap during your race 
•  Why confidence is not a feeling—and how to build it
•  How to define success beyond pace, power, and finish time 

If you’re training for your first triathlon, this episode will help you show up prepared—not just physically, but mentally.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Why Your First Triathlon Falls Apart
01:03 – Why Fitness Isn’t the Problem
03:02 – When Mental Struggles Show Up
06:03 – The Night Before the Race
09:03 – Race Morning Nerves
15:03 – The Acknowledge → Anchor → Execute Framework
22:03 – Using Training as Your Anchor
27:03 – Focus Only on What’s in Front of You
31:03 – The Comparison Trap
39:03 – Why Confidence Isn’t a Feeling
48:03 – Defining Success Beyond Metrics
57:03 – When Things Start to Feel Off
1:01:03 – Breaking the Race Into Segments
1:02:03 – Final Takeaways and Race-Day Mindset

🎯 Ready for more guidance?
Explore coaching and resources at Tabula Rasa Racing:
👉 https://tabularasaracing.com

🎧 Listen to more episodes:
The Endurance Athlete Journey Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.

If this episode helped you, share it with someone preparing for their first race—and leave a review to help more athletes find it.

For coaching inquiries:

Coach Katie → https://fuel2run.com

Coach Justin → https://tabularasaracing.com

Podcast Email → theenduranceathletejourney@gmail.com